The Crane Wife
by vivaly12
Summary: Based off of the Japanese folk tale the Crane Wife with a twist. Used human names and country names. Greece x Japan


This idea just came to mind when I started singing to the vocaloid song, Seaonal Feathers. I also liked the pairing of Greece and Japan. This story actually has nothing to do with the song!

**I do not own Hetalia**

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><p>Heracles was an immigrant from Greece. He recently moved to Japan to look for a job because there was a shortage of jobs in Greece. His family was poor, and he wanted to travel desperately. That was his only chance to go to a different country. He soon moved into his new house in a poor village. When he would gaze outside of the door on the south side of his house, he could see the fields of rice and nearby rivers where the villagers fish. That was where Heracles was going to start at. Fishing. He wanted to quickly settle in his new home and get used to his new neighbors and surroundings.<p>

That night, he went to sleep early for an early start the next day. He didn't want to be late for the job. He remembered exactly what his mother had told him before he left for Japan. She said to him, "Heracles, I want you to fall in love and get married, alright? That way, you won't be lonely, and you can continue to live for someone important, even if your whole family disappears." Heracles ran his mother's words over and over in his mind so that he will not forget them.

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><p>The next day, a Chinese immigrant came to his door. The Chinese man happily introduced himself.<p>

"Ni hao! I mean, konnichiwa, my name is Wang Yao! You must be the new fisherman, aru!"

With a drowsy-like voice, Heracles responded, "Ah, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Heracles Karpusi, and yes, I am the new fisherman."

"Oh! You must be the Grecian fisherman."

"I just arrived yesterday."

"Well, I am supposed to help you get to know the skills and patience of a fisherman. I used to work as one, but now I'm a farmer, aru."

"Shall we go?"

"Hai!"

Wang Yao brought Heracles to the end of the village on the south road, which led down to the rivers and bridges. Wang Yao said hello to many people on the way. Heracles expected to see more Japanese people, but there were some immigrants as well, most from other Asian countries such as South Korea and China. There was this other fisherman that Wang Yao seemed familiar with.

"Heracles, this is a good friend of mine, Im Yong Soo. You will be fishing with him for the rest of the year." Then, Wang Yao turned to Im Yong Soo."

Heracles then bowed politely while saying, "I am pleased to meet you, Im Yong Soo."

"Me too! Hey, did you know that fishing originated in Korea?"

"Korea...?"

Wang Yao quickly covered Im Yong Soo's mouth. "Aiyaa! Please don't listen to him! Sometimes he can say really stupid things, aru."

"...Alright, then. I'll forget about it."

"*sigh* Please mind him at all times, because he seems to mess around a lot on the job."

"Hey!" Im Yong Soo yelled in protest. Wang Yao began to push him towards his boat. Heracles watched how they fought from a distance.

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><p>"Geez, I'm tired! What about you, Heracles?"<p>

"Yes, I am. So we have to deliver he fish to the market tomorrow?"

"Yep. Then, the day after that, we go back to fishing. happens over and over again."

"Is it the same with Wang Yao?"

"Not really. They get two days to harvest the rice, and then they get the third day to deliver the rice, because they have to hack the rice off of the plant."

"I see. May I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Will you let me deliver the fish tomorrow? Alone?"

"Um, are you sure? I mean, it's not that I don't want you to, but will you be okay? The market is a few miles north from the village. You'll have to walk through the dirt roads in the plains."

"No, I will be fine. I don't want to become a burden just because I'm new."

"Well, if you insist. Go ahead, but you'll have to take my fish, too."

"I am fine with that."

"Thank you," Heracles said while smiling.

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><p>The next day, he woke up early. It was nearing winter and it would get colder. He went down the river and found Im Yong Soo's and his net of fish. He didn't catch a lot, but Im Yong Soo helped him out. He was quite strong so he swung both nets over his shoulders. Out of the corner if his eye, he saw other fisherman carrying nets to the north as well. He wasn't alone on this. Mostly all the fisherman did this. He headed towards the north road of the village with the others.<p>

Im Yong Soo was right. He would be walking for a few miles to the market. He walked faster to save time. He did not make any breakfast that day, so he wanted to grab something to eat at the market. When he got there, there was a man who was holding a scroll. The fisherman had to check in before handing the fish in.

Heracles checked himself in. He dumped all the fish in some barrels. After that, he headed straight home. The sun had started to rise by then. Dawn was one of the most beautiful sights anybody could view anywhere in the world. Heracles was glad he got to see the sun rising. Then, a fellow Japanese fisherman patted him on the back.

"Beautiful, isn't it? This is one of the beauties of this country. I'm sure other countries around the world are jealous because of our art and manners. They call Japan 'the country where the sun rises.' I like that name. What do you think?"

"...I think it suits this country and the Japanese people perfectly."

"I knew you'd see to it!"

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><p>Heracles had slowed down to enjoy the view. He saw graceful birds emerge from the tall grass. There were cranes that used their beaks to fish for their next meal. The flock rose and flew away, leaving behind only one. From how close the crane was, Heracles could see that it was struggling. ,aye something was holding it down? He slowly walked towards the bird and examined its foot. There was a thick string that was tied around it.<p>

Heracles approached it, like he would a stray cat. The crane calmed down and bent down in submission. Heracles smiled gently. He raised his hands and untied the knot around its foot.

"There, all done. Go fly away now."

And the crane took off. Some feathers came off as the crane flapped its wings. As the crane gazed down at the young Grecian man, it thought, _"This human saved my life today. I must repay him back soon."_

2 months later...

On a cold, winter night, the snow suddenly fell from the sky. The snow began coming down hard. Heracles then heard a soft knock on his door. He curiously walked to the screen door. _"Who would to my house at this hour?"_ he thought to himself. When he opened the door, a beautiful person appeared before him. The person had black, cleanly cut hair, like a raven's. Their eyes were the color of the sweet chocolate. Heracles didn't know what to think of. Was this a man or a woman.

"Excuse for intruding, but could perhaps stay here for the night?" the short person politely asked.

Heracles cleared his throat and answered the person. "Yes, you may. Please come inside and sit by the hearth. It is quite cold on this night."

"It is."

The person stepped in. Their kimono was pure white, like the snow right outside. They gracefully sat down and began to rub their hands together. Heracles came and sat down beside them with two cups of tea.

"Here, have some tea."

"Thank you very much. Sir, what is you name? My name is Kiku Honda."

"My name is Heracles Karpusi. What are you doing on this cold night?"

"My parents had just died from a disease a week ago. I have no relatives at all. I wasn't able to stay in my home so I had to travel and live somewhere else. It started snowing, so I stopped at this village."

"Why did you come to my home?"

"It just...felt right."

"...Then, you may stay as long as you want until it stops snowing."

Kiku smiled warmly. A small blush came over his face.

"Is something the matter?" Heracles asked.

Kiku simply shook his head and he drank is tea quickly. Heracles stood up.

"Well, I'll get the futon ready, but..."

"But what?"

"I only have one futon. I'll just sleep on the ground."

"Eh- No! I don't want you to! I'm a guest so I should sleep on the ground!"

"No, I should be gracious and allow you to sleep on the futon."

"But...no! If you're the only one who will sleep on the floor, then I will too!"

"Eh, but..."

"If you don't want me too, then, you have to sleep in the futon, too."

"Like...sleeping together?"

"What else do I mean?"

_"Oh, dear..." _Heracles thought. He didn't want to sleep in the futon when a guest was staying over for the night. Especially if it was a man...But he thought that I couldn't hurt. It was probably just for one night, and the person will leave the next day. So he decided that he would just do it to get it over with.

"*sigh* Very well. Just for tonight."

"Yay~" (I know Kiku isn't actually like this)

So, Heracles ended up sleeping with Kiku. Nothing happened. But what _did_ happen is that Kiku liked to snuggle close to Heracles while they were sleeping.

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><p>When Heracles woke up the next day, the snow had been coming down the same way it had been the night before, but the snow never seemed to pile up. He thought it was strange, but then he shrugged it off. It could've stopped snowing in the middle of the night briefly and start snowing again when the sun rose. He found that Kiku was cooking some food for them two.<p>

"Heracles, do you have a wife?" Kiku asked without looking away from the big bowl in the middle of the hearth.

"No, I don't. But the women in the village seem to like me."

"I see. Are you poor?"

"I wouldn't say that, but I don't have enough money to get things that I want."

"...Then, will you let me work in that room?" he asked while pointing at an empty room.

"What are you going to do?"

"I am going to weave and make cloth to sell at the market."

"Um, are you sure?"

"Yes. And when I am done, I want you to sell it for me and buy more yarn for me."

"Okay. How will this benefit me?"

"With the remaining money, you will be able to buy more food and get a more high paying job."

"But, if you just simply weave cloth, then I won't be able to work if I deliver the cloth and buy the yarn and food. I won't be able to go to work everyday."

Kiku paused to give it some thought. He shook his head.

"No, it's fine. I'll weave the cloth for you, but you have to let me live with you. I'll cook for you and I'll wash your clothing for you. Please let me stay."

"...But you're a man."

"It's okay. But you cannot come into the room while I am weaving."

"Why?"

"...I cannot tell you that."

"Well, you are doing something kind for me, so I should repay you back."

"N-no! It's fine, I don't need you to, I just want to help you."

"Very well, then. Shall I get you the yarn right now?"

"Yes..."

1 year later...

Heracles soon fell in love with Kiku, despite them both being men. Heracles loved the way Kiku would sing, how his movements showed that he loved Heracles, how his smile was only for him, and how his voice would sound when he was happy. He wanted to embrace Kiku and protect him forever. However, Kiku grew uneasy. His health had begun it decline. The reason why he asked Heracles not to enter the room while he was working was because he was the crane that Heracles saved a year ago.

Kiku felt that he had to repay him back. He was glad that someone had helped him. He didn't really expect to get married to the human at all. He never experienced anything like it. He had never been embraced before, or was smiled at. He only knew the emotionless noises of other cranes.

He plucked his feathers each day in order to make the cloth even more beautiful. He did this not stop because he simply wanted Heracles to have the best qualities and live an easy life. But whenever Heracles came him from the market, he never brought anything back with him besides the yarn and food. He wondered where the money was. This caused Kiku to work even harder.

As the day Kiku and Heracles met neared, he had already picked the last feather. His hands were bloody with bandages heavily placed over them. His face was covered with hot sweat, and he was even struck with a high fever. As he prepared to use the last feather to make the last cloth he would make before he would leave, Heracles suddenly came in.

"Kiku, this is important. I know you told me not to come in but-"

"Heracles..."

Heracles saw the horrid state his lover was in. Kiku held a feather in his hand. His kimono was slightly drooping down his shoulders revealing his chest and shoulders. He was slightly skinny and scars that looked like someone had stabbed him all over covered him from his neck and down. Kiku looked down ashamed. Heracles said nothing, but he held Kiku tightly with his strong arms, tears streaming out of his eyes.

"Who did this to you...?"

"H-Heracles...n-nobody...*cough* I am not f-feeling well...*cough*"

"What? What's wrong!?"

"Nothing...I'm...j-just becoming tired...all of a sudden. *cough*"

"But you're head is hot! And you're hands...why are they all bloody?"

"I've...b-been working so hard for...you. I wanted t-to repay you for helping me...that day."

"...That day?"

"You saved...m-me...I was t-that crane whom was...trapped..."

Then, memories of the flock of cranes rushed back into Heracles' mind. He remembered that he saved a crane. A strong was wrapped tightly around its foot, so he untied it and he crane flew away.

"What...? You were the crane...?"

"Hai... But because I l-loved you so much...I wanted...to keep making you...happy...!"

"Happy...? But I'm not happy right now! I- Why did you do this? You knew you were going to die, but you chose to continue with your injuries. Why!?"

"..."

"Kiku? Kiku!"

Heracles' lover fell limp in his arms. He was no longer breathing, but he was smiling as if he was having a beautiful dream right now. Heracles cried and cried for Kiku, begging him to wake up over and over again. He said he would do anything to make him wake up. He repeated everything for nights on ends until Im Yong Soo and Wang Yao found him wailing over Kiku's dead body. They pulled him away, telling him that no matter how many times he pleaded, Kiku will not wake up. After a days, they held a funeral for him. Everybody grieved, but Heracles was the most who cried the most, for nobody really knew Kiku Honda.

The village knew him as Kiku Honda, the Cold Crane, for appearing on a cold night and disappearing on a cold night. After a few months, Heracles could no longer live without Kiku. He threw his life away by stabbing himself in the heart. All he wanted was to be by Kiku's side again.

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><p>Hundreds of years later, Greece tiredly walked to the World Summit. Turkey and England still forbid him to bring any cats along. He was reluctant to not bring any cats, but since he was a country and he had to abide by the rules, he did not bring any. But of course he could always go over to Japan's house.<p>

After the meeting

Greece chatted with Japan quietly about cats and whatnot. Japan spotted a flock of Japanese cranes and pointed at them. Greece squinted at the cranes, as of trying to remember something important. Then, as a wind flew past them both, he saw a trapped crane in the back of his mind. The crane was struggling, but a man approached it and untied the knot. A next memory came. It was of a beautiful person whose hair was raven black and was cleanly cut. He stared straight at Japan who had the same haircut.

Tears came to Greece's eyes as he began to remember everything. He grabbed Japan's waist and held him close.

"G-Greece-san? What is wrong?"

"Kiku! Kiku!"

_"My name_..." thought Japan.

"Greece-san!"

The two held each other tightly, fearing that they may commit the same horrible deeds as they did hundreds of years ago.

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><p><strong>AN: So actually, it's not the same as the song, and it's not the same as the original folk tale either, but I hoped you enjoyed it! And I am sure I failed at making a sad ending + happy ending.**


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